


Kiss from a Rose

by ElliePollie



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Prank Never Happened, Amusement Parks, F/M, Fluff, Matchmaker Josh, Multi, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25117483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElliePollie/pseuds/ElliePollie
Summary: Theprom, an amusement park, a crush on your best friend, Josh's matchmaking attempts. What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Ashley Brown & Chris Hartley & Josh Washington, Ashley Brown/Chris Hartley, Emily Davis/Mike Munroe (minor), Matt Taylor/Hannah Washington (minor), Sam Giddings/Beth Washington (minor)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	Kiss from a Rose

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been in the works for a while after a couple of different people requested that I do a Chrashley prom fic. This is my gargantuan attempt. Enjoy.

Ashley was going to prom with Chris! Well… technically she was going to prom with Chris _and_ Josh. In all truth, it had been Josh that asked her, not that he even needed to ask. The three of them always stuck together at social events and really every event _and_ non-event in existence. It was a guarantee that they’d be hitting up prom together. 

“So, Ash,” Josh had plonked himself down right next to her, jostling her out of the comfortable reading position and throwing an arm around her shoulders. 

“Mmhm,” she sighed, setting her book down, sensing that, no matter how hard she tried to keep reading, Josh wasn’t about to leave her in peace any time soon. 

“You got prom plans?” 

“Depends who’s asking.” 

“I am. In fact, consider this a prom-posal! Sorry, we didn’t go all out, the circus I hired cancelled at the last minute.” 

“We?” Ashley quirked an eyebrow at him. 

“See, this is was I like about you Red, you’re great at picking out all the important tidbits of information-”

“Josh!” Ashley hit him with her book, trying to force him to get to his point quicker. 

“Cochise and I are extending an invite to you, Miss Brown, to join us at the prom.” 

“Oh, well, I figured we’d go together,” Ashley shrugged, beginning to open her book in the hope that this was the end of the conversation. 

“Excuse me, Miss Brown,” he put his hand over the pages, “but the prom is a very delicate-”

“Why are you calling it _the_ prom? It’s just prom.” 

“ _The_ prom is a very delicate,” he continued, ignoring her, “process, and the asking, typically done by the gentleman, is a time-honoured tradition and I must insist that you give a formal answer.” 

“Fine,” Ashley sighed, sensing he wouldn’t leave her be if she didn’t respond to his invitation, “sure.” 

“Wonderful,” Josh removed his hand from her book and clapped his hands together, “I will go inform Cochise of the pans,” he got up and left Ashley in peace. 

However, she didn’t go back to her book. She placed her bookmark in between the pages and let out a sigh, leaning her head back against the top of the couch. She’d been hoping that Chris would ask her. Technically, she was still going to prom with Chris, but she’d hoped to be going with him under different circumstances. 

When the invite to get ready with the rest of the girls came from Sam a couple of weeks later she hadn’t been all that enthusiastic about it, she liked to stick with her boys. But the closer prom got, the more she found herself in need of a reprieve from them. She loved their stupid, goofy jokes and pranks, but when you were desperately trying to get over a certain set of bright blue eyes, spending every waking minute with their owner and the king of lewd jokes didn’t help. 

So the night before prom, Ashley found herself enjoying the pre-prom sleepover with the girls. Admittedly, she was still in the same house as Josh and Chris and wasn’t immune to thoughts of what they were getting up to or talking about. Wondering if they were talking about her, wondering if Chris was thinking about her the same way she thought about him. 

The room was covered in blankets, sleeping bags, pillows and packets and bowls of various snacks. They did facials and pedicures, pampering each other and gossiping all the while. Ashley enjoyed giggling with the other girls as they talked about their hopes for prom night. That is, she enjoyed it until…

“So, Ash,” Jess was lounging on a big pink cushion, a mask soothing her face, “what’s the deal with you and Chris?”

“Oh, um,” Ashley who was sitting cross-legged in a clear space on the floor felt her face heating up, “nothing, we’re just friends.” 

“Yeah right,” Emily snorted. 

“I’m going with Josh and Chris, like, as friends,” she explained quickly, her face still burning. 

“But, you like Chris?” Jess smirked. 

Ashley stared at the ground, trying to hide behind her hair, praying that the floor would swallow her up. 

“She does,” Sam answered for her. 

“Sam!” Ashley turned to her, feeling slightly betrayed. 

“I’m sorry,” Sam put her hands up in defence, giggling a little, “but it’s common knowledge.” Beth nodded in agreement. 

“Great,” Ashley sighed, blowing some of the hair out of her face, her shoulder slumping. 

“You could say the same for Chris’ crush on Ash though,” Hannah piped up, looking up from the mirror that she was using to help her pluck her eyebrows. Everyone else nodded in agreement. 

What?! Ashley did a double-take. That couldn’t be right! She’d given him so many signs, so many openings to make a move and he’d done nothing. All of the other girls turned to her, looking at her as if she were mad. Clearly, she’d said some of that out loud without realising. 

“What? Wouldn’t he have like… done something about it by now if he did. I mean, I’ve given him _so_ many opportunities.” 

“Have you done anything about it?” Jess asked. 

“Umm… no.” 

“Then why would _he_? This is the twenty-first century. Chris is an idiot. Go for it, you make the first move.” 

“No, no, I couldn’t, that’s ridiculous, I-I can’t…” Ashley felt even more heat creeping up to her face just thinking about it. 

“I think this might be a hopeless case,” Emily sighed, reaching for some chips. 

“I’m happy going with Josh and Chris, honestly.” 

Again, they all turned to her, giving her half-amused, half-sympathetic smiles. 

“Sure,” Emily nodded, rolling her eyes. 

“Give her a break guys,” Sam tutted, “they’ll work it out in their own time.” 

“Okay, but by the time either of them makes a move you’re going to have to hold a seance to tell any of us.” 

They all laughed. Ashley crossed her arms and grumbled to herself, but a voice in the back of her head told her that they were right. Maybe she should just go for it. 

***

The next day was utter chaos. They all slept in, exhausted from the sleepover gossip that had gone on well into the early hours of the morning. Ashley was woked up to the announcement that Sam had disappeared and a manhunt was being organised for her, spanning the entirety of the Washington mansion. 

As she searched through rooms and corridors Ashley caught a few glances of Chris and Josh who had both been roped into the manhunt. Chris, she noticed, was still in his tracksuit and t-shirt from sleeping, his hair sticking up all over the place. Every time she laid eyes on him her stomach broke into backflips. Her face heated up, thinking about what the girls had said to her last night and she rapidly retreated in the opposite direction to him. 

Eventually, there were shouts and everyone piled into the kitchen where they were coming from. Ashley hurried in and found Sam, wearing workout gear, covered in sweat and with a tearful Hannah hanging onto her. 

“Oh my god! Sam! Are you okay?” Jess asked as she rushed into the room. 

Ashley hung back, trying to avoid the crowd of people forming around Sam. 

“Hannah, what’s wrong?” Sam gently asked her sobbing best friend. 

“You… you… I was worried! W-we couldn’t find you anywhere!” 

“Oh! I just went for a jog, that’s all, I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would cause so much chaos.” 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Ashley jumped at the soft voice beside her ear and a hand placed on her shoulder. “Woe! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Chris held his hands up in surrender. 

“It’s fine,” she felt her face burning up, “turns out Sam was just jogging.” 

“Or… that’s what she told you,” Chris smirked. 

“What are you saying?” Ashley snorted, raising her eyebrows. 

“Just that jogging is a great alibi,” Chris shrugged. “Is everyone here?” He craned his head around, “because if not, we know what happened to them.” 

“Sam is not a murderer,” Ashley laughed, slapping his arm gently. 

“Guilty until proven innocent!” 

“That is not the saying,” Ashley shook her head. 

“Ash! Come on! You’ll have time to flirt later, we need to get ready!” Emily called, as the girls, having solved Sam’s disappearance, began to leave the room. 

Ashley felt her face flush with heat and quickly whirled away from Chris, chasing after the girls without even a glance back. 

“Uh, see you later then,” Chris called after her. 

They all hurried back upstairs and began taking turns showering. Luckily, there were plenty of bathrooms in the Washinton mansion so no one had to wait too long. 

Ashley was one of the last ones to shower. She hopped in, quickly washed her hair and body. Then ran her razor over her legs, managing to nick the back of her knee in the process. She quietly cursed herself and washed the blood away hoping it would sort itself out by the time she got out of the shower. 

Once she was done, she got out and wrapped herself up in a towel. She inspected the back of her leg and found that it was still bleeding. She began refiling through the cabinets in the bathroom looking for a band-aid. Unfortunately, she turned up nada in her search. 

Not wanting to get any blood on her clothes she decided to bundle them up and walk to Hannah’s room in her towel and ask for a band-aid. It wasn’t far so she was unlikely to bump into anyone and if she did, it would probably be one of the other girls. 

Hair still wet from the shower and slicked down against her neck, she unlocked the door and stuck her head out, looking up and down the corridor for signs of anyone. Finding it clear she decided to make a dash for Hannah’s room which was just around the corner. She took a deep breath, steeling herself and, holding the towel tightly around her, bolted down the corridor. 

As she rounded the corner she slammed into something solid. Stumbling back and collecting herself she realised that some _thing_ was actually a some _one_ and to her utter horror, that someone was Chris. 

Before she could stop herself she found herself letting out an audible, high-pitched shriek. 

“Sorry Ash, I didn’t see you there…” he trailed off as his eyes took in her wet, towel-clad sate. His ears instantly flushed bright red. He gulped and unconsciously licked his lips as he looked her up and down. 

Ashley saw none of this, choosing to stare directly at the floor in embarrassment, completely unable to make eye-contact with him. 

“I, uh, I just needed to find a band-aid,” she turned her leg to examine the small trail of blood coming from her cut. 

“Well… um… I know where they keep the band-aids. If you want I could… you know… show you,” he offered, now making a deliberate effort to not look at her. 

“O-okay.” 

Chris nodded and quickly took the lead, not looking back at her. He brought her downstairs and into the laundry room. 

“Don’t ask me why they keep the first aid in here, nothing about any of their mansions makes any sense,” he said, opening up a cupboard and rooting around inside until he found a pack of band-aids and some anti-bac wipes. 

He looked at her and then his eyes quickly darted away again, intentionally focusing on the band-aid packet. 

“I um… I could uh… do it for you… you know… if it’s going to be hard for you to see and reach and stuff.” 

“Okay,” Ashley nodded faintly. 

“Hop up here then,” he patted the counter. 

Ashley lifted herself up onto the countertop and stuck her leg out, turning it as far as she could so that he could see the cut. She suddenly felt very aware of how much of her legs were exposed and of the fact that she was wearing nothing but a towel and she was alone with Chris. 

She gulped, holding the towel tightly around her as Chris pulled out a wipe. 

“Sorry if it stings.” 

Ashley shrugged. He leaned down and gently swiped away the blood making sure it was clean. It barely stung, Ashley didn’t even flinch. She was too focused on holding her breath as her stomach squirmed and her heart rate rocketed from Chris’ soft touch. 

He threw the wipe in a nearby trashcan and then tore open the band-aid packet. Ashley found herself watching his hands carefully, enrapt with the movements of his fingers. Chris held her knee and lined up the band-aid before peeling off the backs and sticking it down. 

“There you go,” he smiled, looking up at her, meeting her eyes for the first time since she bumped into him. 

“Thanks,” she tried to say, but her voice got stuck in her throat and it came out as a whisper. 

Chris’ hand was still on her knee and she was acutely aware of every single point of contact between his skin and hers. His bright blue eyes were staring directly into hers. She felt her breath catch in her throat. 

Unconsciously, she found herself leaning toward him. She shivered as she felt his hand move a little further up her leg. 

“Cochise!” Josh’s loud voice shattered the moment, sending Chris springing away from Ashley like he’d been burned. Ashley clutched her towel tightly around herself.

“Cochise!” Josh called out again in a sing-song voice, “you practically live here so there’s no way I’m believing you got lost. I hope there’s a good reason for the delay of our snacks, like going to the bone zone with-” 

“I’m right here! Josh!” Chris yelled, throwing himself out of the laundry room. 

“What were you doing in there?” 

Ashley sighed and got down off the counter. He was clearly repulsed by her, the way he leapt away from her proved that. How did the other girls think anything else? 

She gathered up her clothes in her arms and left the laundry room. 

“Oh!” Josh raised his eyebrows as she followed Chris out of the laundry room, “so you were-” 

“As I was saying,” Chris quickly interrupted him, “Ash needed a band-aid,” Chris gestured to her. 

“A band-aid, is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Josh leered. 

Ashley rolled her eyes, “get out the way jerk, I need to go get ready,” she elbowed him playfully. 

“Careful, your towel might fall, wouldn’t want the lady’s modesty to be at risk!” 

Ashley quickly clutched at her towel, looking down to make sure she wasn’t exposing herself. 

“Made you look,” Josh snickered. 

“You ass,” she shook her head and pushed past him. 

“Is it bad luck to see your date before the prom?” Josh called after her. 

“Stomp calling it _the_ prom!” 

“That doesn’t answer my question.” 

“I’m not your date.” 

“Then who is?” 

“Don’t look at me.” 

“We’re going as a threesome, so sorry to inform you of this Ash, but you are one of my dates, and you’re the other.” 

“We are not a threesome!” 

“I mean… I’d pay to see it.” 

“Ugh… gross… see you guys later,” Ashley left, quickly hurrying away from the two boys and locking herself back in the bathroom so that she could get dressed. 

Once she was dressed and back in Hannah’s room the real preparations began. Hair and makeup and last minute outfit adjustments multiplied by six girls was utter chaos. Tears were shed, laughs were had, someone may have burned their hair at one point, or, at least, that’s what Ashley assumed from the faint burning smell lingering in the room. 

Sam, the designated mom friend of the group, pottered about, calming everyone down, opening windows when it started to smell and finding lost items of jewellery when they went missing. Until, of course, Hannah freaked out that Sam wasn’t going to be ready in time and insisted that she stopped babysitting everyone. 

After seeing some of the sorcery that Jess was working on the other girls’ hair, Ashley got up the courage to awkwardly ask her whether she could do her hair. Jess agreed enthusiastically and immediately got to work. 

She settled on a waterfall braid and used curling tongs to give Ashley’s hair perfect, shiny waves. At one point Hannah dashed back into the room from the garden with a collection of flowers and sprigs for people to accessorise with. Jess selected some minute white flowers to weave into Ashley’s braid. 

Once she was finished Jess pulled Ashley over to the mirror to show off her hard work. Ashley grinned as she took in the braid and the small white flowers. 

“Thank you so much,” she beamed at Jess. 

“No worries,” Jess grinned, pulling her into a tight hug, “you look amazing! Chris isn’t going to know what’s hit him.”

Ashley hugged Jess back, her face lighting up bright red at Jess’ words. 

She was then snatched up by Hannah, who insisted on helping her do her make-up. Normally, just an eyeliner and mascara girl, Ashley was glad to have Hannah’s advice. They created a subtle smokey eye look with some lip gloss and minimal make-up elsewhere. 

Before they knew it, there was only half an hour until the limo was due to get there and they were all quickly pulling on their dresses and making last-minute adjustments. Ashley wore a dark green, lace dress, it was knee length with the hemline dipping at the back, it had a v-neck and spaghetti straps, simple and elegant. 

“Hey Ash,” Hannah said, applying another coat of lipstick to her lips. 

“Yeah?” Ashley looked up from where she was lacing up her boots. 

“You want to join us in the limo? It’s going to be so much fun!” 

“Uh… I don’t know… I’m meant to be going with Josh and Chris.” 

“You can see them when we get there,” Hannah shrugged. 

“Have you seen the state of their cars? Ugh! I wouldn’t be caught dead arriving in either of them,” Emily scoffed. 

Ashley thought about it, chewing on her lip. It had been fun getting ready with all the girls, and a limo did sound amazing, talk about arriving in style! Chris and Josh both had cars that smelt of junk food and hadn’t been washed in who knows how long. Josh would almost definitely want to blast out his music and roll the windows down which would mean Ashley would instantly have to say goodbye to her beautifully done hair. 

Going with the girls would give her longer to calm herself down before having to spend the whole prom pining. She found her palms getting clammy just thinking about it, her nerves already sky-high. She wiped her hands off on her dress. 

“I guess I could come, if you want me to and if the guys aren’t bothered.” 

“It’s just the drive Ash, they aren’t going to care,” Emily shrugged. 

“And we definitely want you to party with us!” Jess grinned. 

“Okay, sure, then,” Ashley smiled. 

“Yay!” Hannah squealed and air hugged Ashley because she didn’t want to crease their dresses. 

“Ash, Beth and anyone else who is ready, out!” Sam commanded, “you’re distracting those of us who still have work to do,” she looked specifically at Hannah. 

Ashley quickly grabbed her overnight bag before she was banished. Then she and Beth were ushered out of the room. 

“You go ahead and wait in the foyer, I need to grab something from my room,” Beth headed down the corridor. 

Ashley nodded and went the other way, coming to the grand staircase and walking down into the main foyer that made up the entrance to the mansion. 

“Wow!” 

Ashley jumped a mile in the air, clutching her bag tightly to her chest. She whirled around to find Chris sat on one of the small couches. 

“Oh my god! You scared me!” Ashley bent over, regaining her breath, “are you trying to kill me?” 

Chris grinned, “what? Because I’m drop-dead gorgeous?” He pretended to flip some non-existent long hair over his shoulder. 

Ashley shook her head in exasperation, secretly taking him in at the same time. He was in a classic black suit with a white shirt and a dark green bowtie. Her stomach filled with butterflies as she realised how handsome he looked. 

“Hey, we match!” Ashley pointed to his bowtie and her dress. 

“Yeah, Josh coordinated it.” 

“That’s why he texted me asking for a photo of my dress.” 

“What up! What up!” Josh sauntered into the room wearing a white tailored suit with a black shirt and an identical green bowtie to Chris’, “we ready to go bitches?” 

“Yup,” Chris pulled himself up off the couch and headed toward the door. Ashley didn’t move. 

“Ash? Ya legs suddenly stop working?” Josh looked at her expectantly. 

“I’m um… I’m going in the limo with the other girls,” Ashley admitted, eyes trained on the floor. 

“Traitor!” Josh accused, “what is wrong with my jeep?”

“I thought we were taking the truck?” 

“No offence Cochise but that thing is a piece of junk.” 

“It’s an antique, besides we need it for-”

“Shut up. You seriously bailing on us Ash?” 

Ashley shrugged, “I-I’ll see you there. Could you take this though?” she held out her overnight bag. 

“Okay,” Josh nodded, stepping forward and taking the bag from her, “see you there,” he bowed low and then walked out the door, “you better not stand us up though.” 

“See you there Ash,” Chris stuck his hands in his pockets, gave her a small smile and followed Josh out the door, closing it behind them. 

Ashley sighed and sat herself down on one of the small couches. Beth came down and joined her, wearing a tailored, form-fitting, black suit with a blouse the same red colour as Sam’s dress. 

“My brother being a dick?” Beth asked, sitting down beside her. 

“No,” Ashley smirked, leaning back, “nothing I can’t handle anyway.” 

“You should be given a medal for putting up with him voluntarily.” 

Ashley laughed, “tell me about it.” 

Beth leered, “let’s face it, you only put up with him for a certain pair of dreamy blue eyes.” 

“Hey, no!” Ashley protested, “that’s not fair, I love Josh, wouldn’t trade him for the world.” 

“I’d trade him for a pet rabbit.” 

“You’re allergic to rabbits,” Sam's voice travelled down the stairs. 

“Precisely,” Beth grinned up at her girlfriend. 

Sam swept down the stairs gracefully in her beautiful trailing maroon dress. 

“How’s the peanut gallery?” Beth asked. 

“Poppin’” Sam grinned before her face morphed into a slight frown, “could you attempt to be nice about your brother please.” 

“Hey, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen,” Beth put her hands up in defence. “Besides, I love him really, even if he is a moron.” 

Sam rolled her eyes, “is the limo here yet?” 

“Uh… I don’t think so,” Ashley glanced at the door. 

At that moment the doorbell rang, there were a couple of screams from upstairs. 

“I’ll get it!” Sam called and strode toward the door, her heels clicking against the marble floor. 

It was the limo driver and soon the rest of the girls descended the stairs, and they were, miraculously, all ready to go on time. Before piling into the limo they took a group photo in front of it, everyone posing and smiling happily at the camera, looking beautiful. 

Of course, because the limo was paid for out of good ol’ Bob’s wallet, no expense had been spared. It came with a minibar, disco lights and karaoke. Hannah and Sam were on the karaoke straight away, singing their hearts out to Wannabe by the Spice Girls. Then Jess did a flawless solo of Britney’s Oops! I Did It Again, putting her heart and soul into the dance moves that she could manage from a seated position. Hannah then put on Don’t Stop Believing and everyone joined in, waving their hands to the beat. Sam managed to cajole Beth into a duet and then Jess forced a microphone into Emily’s hand. 

Hannah shuffled up next to Ash during Jess and Emily’s rendition of The Boy Is Mine and smiling, asked, “fancy doing a duet with me Ash?” 

“Uh… I don’t know,” Ash shifted nervously. 

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Hannah grinned and laid the songbook across their laps to show Ashley all of the choices. “See anything you like?” 

Ashley scanned her eyes over the list and spotting a good song pointed to it. 

“Okay, I’ll get it set up.” Hannah grabbed the remote and punched in a number to tell it what to play next. 

Once Jess and Emily were finished, the microphones were quickly handed over to Hannah and Ash. The guitar riff of P!nk’s Raise Your Glass started up and Ashley was instantly bopping along, fully prepared to burst into song as soon as the lyrics started. She and Hannah grinned at each other as they sang their way to the chorus and the others nodded their head’s along to the beat. Once at the chorus, they both raised their microphones and everyone joined in, belting out the words. Ashley got really into it, getting into character and not missing a single word or beat. She might have been a little pitchy but no one cared, they were all having way too much fun. 

“Oh my gosh, Ash! That was so much fun!” Hannah grinned as the song came to an end, “choose another one!” She shoved the songbook into Ashley’s hands. 

Ashley quickly flicked through the list and grinned when she saw the perfect song. Someone quickly passed her the remote and she typed in the number. 

_Is this the real life?_

_Is this just fantasy?_

The first lines of Bohemian Rhapsody came through the speakers. 

“Yes!” Beth pumped her fist, “great choice Ash!” 

Jess was already singing along and doing some interesting interpretive dance from where she was seated. After a couple of lines, everyone else joined in too, not necessarily with the interpretive dance, but definitely with the singing. 

Ash sang her heart out, blissfully happy as she played air guitar, and she was one of the few that dared to join in with Jess’ crazy dance moves. 

The limo pulled up outside the botanical gardens where prom was being held, but Bohemian Rhapsody was still going and none of the girls moved to leave, all still belting their lungs out. 

_So you think you can love me and leave me to die!_

Ashley had to try very hard to stop tears of laughter from ruining her makeup as they all went wild on their air guitars. 

As the song finished with its soft piano they all smiled and laughed. Hannah and Jess quickly got to work, going around and fixing everyone’s hair and makeup that had suffered from the manic energy produced by Queen. 

Everyone piled out of the limo, making sure to thank the driver as he held the door open for them. Then they all gathered outside of the gates to gardens, although Emily and Jess were already trying to make their way off to find their dates. 

Hannah called them back, “guys! Group hug before we face the prom!” 

Ashley rolled her eyes, it seemed that ‘the prom’ was a family saying and not just a Josh thing. 

Everyone gathered around and laughed as they squeezed into a big group hug. 

“Okay guys,” Hannah squealed, “time to have the time of our lives!” 

“But don’t put too much pressure on this being the perfect night,” Sam chimed in, sensibly, “just have fun.” 

“Sure,” Jess rolled her eyes. 

“Aww, I love you guys!” Hannah gushed, “I hope you all have a fantastic night! Group squeeze!”

Everyone squeezed a little tighter and they all giggled as they nearly suffocated one another. 

“Beth! Stop groping me!” Sam laughed. 

“Oops,” Beth stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend. 

They disbanded the hug and the girls started going in their different directions. But before she left to find Matt, Hannah quickly grabbed Ash with a smile. 

“Good luck with Chris!” She grinned and hugged Ash tightly, not seeming to care about smooshing dresses anymore in her excitement, “I know he likes you back.” 

“How?” 

“I have inside information,” she smirked and let go. 

“How?” Ashley asked again, even more confused. 

“Josh is my brother,” Hannah winked and then skipped off, leaving Ashley alone. 

Ashley looked at the tall hedge surrounding the gardens and took a deep breath. She was determined to have a fun evening with Josh and Chris, and she was not going to let her stupid crush get in the way. She steeled herself and then marched toward the gate. 

As she got closer she noticed people handing over their tickets as they got to the gate. 

“Flip!” She cursed under her breath as she realised that Josh had her ticket. 

She peered through the gate to see whether he was anywhere in sight but no luck. She hoped that perhaps he had left it at the desk for her. So she walked toward the gate and once the couple in front had handed over their tickets and gone through she stepped forward. 

“Uh, my friend has my ticket, he didn’t leave it with you by any chance?” She asked hopefully. 

“Name?” 

“Ashley Brown.” 

The ticket person looked through a little alphabetised box on their desk, “nope sorry.” 

“Oh, okay…” 

“Sorry, I can’t let you in without a ticket.” 

Ashley let out a sigh and moved away from the desk, her face hot with embarrassment as the people behind her stared. 

She pulled her phone out and quickly called Josh. 

“Sup Red! Where you at? I’ve seen some of the other girls, you promised you wouldn’t stand us up.” 

“You have my ticket asshat! I can’t get in.” 

“Oh! Whoopsidaisies!” She heard his voice faintly talking to someone else, “you can stop worrying bro, she’s outside, turns out I have her ticket.” 

“So… can you come get me?” 

“Yup, on my way,” he hung up. 

Ashley held her phone tightly in her hands and stood waiting for Josh to come to her rescue. She felt awkward as people walked past her and entered the gardens, flashing her pitying look as she craned her neck, trying to spot Josh. 

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the two boys walking toward the ticket desk. She watched as Josh talked to the person and the desk and gestured to her. He beckons her over and, still holding her phone in a vice grip Ashley walked back over to the desk. 

Josh handed over her ticket and she was handed a ballot card. It had the names of the nominated prom kings and queens. The names under the list of kings were Brandon (Jess’ date), Chase (a football player), Matt and Mike. Then for the prom queens Emily, Hannah, Jess and a cheerleader called Maddison. Ashley quickly filled it in, casting her vote and then slotted it into the ballot box. 

“Come on Ash, time for the prom,” Josh grinned, throwing an arm around her and carting her through the gate and into the gardens. 

“Stop calling it _the_ prom!” 

Josh ignored her, “do you know what? I think this was fate, this gives us the perfect opportunity to get in line for a few photos, I think we need some for the albums.” 

Ashley pulled a face, “do we have to?”

“Sorry Ash, Josh can leave no second of his life undocumented, has he not told you he’s going to be a famous film director one day?” Chris teased. 

“What? Josh, you’ve never told me that before, why would you keep your hopes and dreams a secret?” 

“You’re both real funny, you know that,” Josh rolled his eyes, ushering them both into the line for photos, “anyway, it wasn’t me that I was thinking about. Gotta have some great photos for the best man speech, don’t I? Oh, and we can’t forget to show them to the grandchildren.” 

“What are you talking about, dork?” Ashley snorted as Chris tried to surreptitiously elbow Josh into silence. 

“Don’t worry,” Josh patted her head, “you’ll figure it out one day… I hope, I really, really hope, or I might go insane… oh, wait, that already happened.”

“What is he babbling about?” Ashley said through the side of her mouth to Chris who shrugged and pulled a face. 

“Jokes aside, important decision, what poses are we going to strike?” 

“Uh, smile at the camera like normal people?” 

“Ashley, Ashley, Ashley, we are not normal people, we need a pose that reflects that.” 

“Charlie’s angels then?” 

“I am disappointed in your lack of imagination, you’re meant to be a great writer, you can come up with something better than that.” 

“Wait?” Chris interrupted, “who’s Charlie and who are the angels?” 

“We’re not doing Charlie’s angels!” 

“I know, but it’s still an important question.” 

“If you’re hoping to be Charlie, you are about to be severely disappointed. Can we get back on topic, please?” 

“Fine, what do you suggest?” 

“Well,” Josh smirks, “we could pray to the ass.” 

“What ass?” Ashley frowns. 

“Your ass.”

“What!?”

“Ashley, I am as gay as they come but even I know that thang’ needs to be worshipped.” 

“Nope, nope,” Ashley shook her head, “vetoing, right now.” 

“Seconded,” Chris agreed. 

“You guys are no fun!” Josh pouted. 

“How about, I’ll hold, you punch,” Chris suggested to Ashley, nudging her slightly.

Ashley laughed and felt her cheeks heat up. 

“That’s not a bad idea actually,” Josh nodded, “oh and we could do mug shots too, do they have the stupid prom signs,” he craned his neck, looking down the line. 

Chris, who could easily see over the other people in the line confirmed that yes, there were stupid prom signs. 

“Okay, it’s decided. Punching, mug shots and someone come up with a third pose, three is the magic number.” 

“Act natural,” Ashley suggested. 

“Ash you’re a genius, the plan is set!”

They waited a while longer, slowly making their way to the front of the line. The couple in front of them did the classic prom pose, smiled at the camera and then moved off. 

“Next,” the photographer called the three of them up. 

They stepped up in front of an arch covered in fairy lights and roses. 

“We have three poses for you,” Josh told the photographer. 

“Go ahead.”

“Come on then Cochise, let the lady have her punch.” 

Chris held Josh’s arms behind his back and Ashley held her arm out in a fake punch, a vicious grin on her face. 

“You wish this was real don’t you?” Josh smirked after the photographer had taken the photo. 

“Sometimes more than you can imagine.” 

“Pose two!” Josh cried out, “grab the thingies!”

Chris let Josh go and quickly grabbed the prom signs from the props box and handed over one to each of them. They all stood in front of the camera and did their best serial killer impression. 

“Act natural!”

They all threw the prom signs back in the box. Each of them grabbed a prop without properly taking in what it was and struck the most random pose that they could think of. Ashley gave Josh the middle finger while staring thoughtfully at a rubber duck balanced in the palm of her other hand. Josh, squatting, glared back at her from underneath the brim of a rainbow fedora. In the background, standing in the centre of the arch, Chris was wearing a horse mask and doing a peace sign. 

The flash went off, “next!” The photographer called out. 

They quickly returned the props to the box and moved out the way for the next group. 

“That is going to be utter perfection!” Josh pronounced as they headed further into the gardens. 

The botanical gardens were a beautiful venue for a prom and the committee had gone all out and made the place even more magical to go with their secret garden theme. Miles of fairy lights must have been hired to cover so much of the gardens in a magical twinkling glow. Beautiful bouquets of roses had been placed around the garden and small flickering lanterns lined the paths. 

In the centre of the garden on a large patch of flat grass a magnificent white netted gazebo had been set up, with a dance floor and DJ booth underneath it. This was where the majority of people were currently congregated, milling around, waiting for the party to properly start before they got dancing. 

“Hey, look,” Ashley stood herself against a hedge, “I blend in!” She pointed to her green dress. 

“Woe, Josh, where’d she go?” Chris pulled a face of mock surprise, “she was right there just a second ago!” 

Josh shook his head, “who wants punch!” He didn’t wait for an answer and strode straight toward the drinks table away from Chris and Ashley. 

“And that’s the last we’ll see of him,” Ashley watched him walk away. 

“Better not be! He should bring his dates punch if he doesn’t want to get punched.” 

“We’re not his dates!” 

“Would you prefer to be a raisin?” Chris grinned. 

“You… ugh… that doesn’t even deserve an answer.” 

“You want to find somewhere to sit and watch the chaos of the prom ensue?” 

“ _The_ prom? Seriously? Not you too!” 

***

“Okay, so, prom checklist.” 

“Hmm, I’m listening,” Ashley glanced at him, moving her eyes away from the people dancing under the gazebo. 

“Nerds sitting in the corner,” he gestured to the table that they were sitting at. 

Ashley laughed, “check.” 

“Teachers doing some terrible dancing.” 

“Mr Ferguson definitely has two left feet,” Ashley smirked as she watched her science teacher dad dancing enthusiastically. 

“Awful DJ. Am I just completely out of touch or have you not recognised a single song either?” 

“It’s not just you, but it might be just _us_ ,” Ashley noticed a group of people energetically singing and dancing along to the music. 

“Hmm, I feel like the night is too young for some of the other classics.” 

“Like what?” 

“Girls walking around barefoot, carrying their ridiculously high heals.” 

“Hey! Guys all take their jackets off and drape them over their shoulder and think it looks so cool!” 

“Wow! That was an attack! I was just stating the facts. You try wearing one of these all night, it’s hot and not all that comfortable.” 

Ashley looked at his suit jacket, briefly imagining him offering it to her at the end of the evening when the air had that late-night chill to it. She would wrap herself in it, huddling up in his lingering warmth. She quickly looked away from his chest as she felt heat creeping up her neck. 

“Who did you vote for, for prom king and queen?” Ashley asked, desperate for a change of topic and a distraction from her bright red face. 

Chris gasped, “as if I would ever reveal such secrets to you, it’s a _secret_ ballot Ash!” 

“I’m so sorry to have offended you,” Ashley rolled her eyes. 

Chris shrugged, “I voted for Hannah and Matt, how about you?” 

“Same,” Ashley nodded, “who do you think will win?” 

“Probably Jess and what’s his name, the guy she’s going with, begins with a B?” 

“Brandon?” 

“Yeah, Brandon, that guy! Wait, if Brandon is her date why is she dancing with Kaylee?” Chris frowned, squinting at the pair of dancers. 

“She can dance with her friends, you don’t have to dance with your date the whole time.”

“Hmm, I don’t think they’re just friends.” 

Ashley followed Chris’ line of sight to see Jess grinding on another girl in a more than friendly way. 

Chris shrugged and laughed, “pretty sure she’s dating the whole school at this point.” 

“And killing it!” Ashley nodded, slightly impressed by Jess’ dance moves. 

“She’s out there living her best life,” Chris chuckled, “so if Brandon had been abandoned, see what I did there?” He smirked, Ashley raised her eyebrows unamused. “Who will be her prince charming?” 

“Mike’s pretty popular?” 

“Don’t, don’t even speak of it!” Chris quickly shushed her, putting a finger to her lips, “I cannot even deal with the prospect of the amount of drama that would cause!” 

Ashley laughed, pushing his hand away, “okay, okay, we shall not speak of it. Anything else we need to tick off the checklist?” 

“Someone trying to spike the punch?” 

“That’s not a real thing.” 

Chris shrugged and feigned nonchalance. 

“Wait! Please do not tell me that’s what Josh went off to do!” 

“No,” Chris laughed, “but you believed it for a second." 

“Oh my god, you…!” Ashley reached across and lightly hit his shoulder. 

“It’s you who should be ashamed, believing that Josh would commit such an atrocity. The sanctity of the punch bowl is serious business.” 

“Well that boy had grey morals,” Ashley shrugged. 

“Yeah, but they're more to do with whether ketchup and mayonnaise should be mixed,” Chris shivered, “not about spiking someone’s drink.” 

“Ah, the important things in life.” 

“It’s a very controversial topic,” Chris nodded, “oh, oh no. We can tick dress malfunction off the list,” Chris pointed toward a couple of girls trying to fix a broken zipper. 

“Anything else we’re missing.” 

“Uhhh… couple making out intensely in a corner?” 

“Who’s making out intensely in a corner?” Josh made them both jump as he appeared in between them. 

“Jeeze Josh!” Ashley put her hand to her head. 

“We’re making sure that this prom has all of the necessary cliches.” 

“Looks like you’re out of luck with the couple making out in the corner,” Josh craned his head around in an exaggerated way, “but… maybe you two could fix that,” he looked between the two of them and raised his eyebrows at Chris. 

“N-no,” Chris shook his head quickly. 

Ashley pretended not to notice the exchange but she felt her throat getting a little tight. Did she seem so desperate that even Josh was providing openings for Chris with her now? He joked about them getting together a lot but never so blatantly. She must have looked like such a fool pining after someone that clearly didn’t reciprocate her feelings. She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and tried to surreptitiously wipe them away while desperately holding the rest back. 

A violin sound started up on the speakers. Ashley instantly recognised it as the opening to Come On Eileen. 

“Oh shit!” Josh cried out, “Cochise, it’s our song!” 

“Oh no!” Ashley groaned. 

“Hell yeah,” Chris got to his feet. 

“Ash, you _are_ coming! You know the moves!” Josh insisted, dragging her out of her seat. 

“No!” Ashley protested as she was carted onto the dance floor. 

“Make way ladies and gentleman!” Josh carved a path for them through the dancers. 

Once in the middle of the dance floor Chris and Josh broke out into dance and Ashley joined them somewhat reluctantly. It was clear that the dance had been permanently burned into the back of their minds with the number of times that they’d practised it. They whirled each other around the dancefloor, dancing and laughing until their stomachs hurt. Ashley was almost thrown across the room by Josh spinning her so hard. 

As Come On Eileen faded out, the piano of Can’t Help Falling in Love began and Elvis Presley’s deep, sensual tones saturated the garden around them. Ash and Chris, still laughing, went to leave the dance floor but Josh quickly reeled them back in, throwing his arms around their shoulders. 

“Not so fast nerds! You are not depriving me of a dance to the King!” 

“But this is a slow dance song,” Ashley made a face and tried to wriggle away from Josh.” 

“Yeah, and? I wanna dance to a romantic song with my two… I was gonna say beautiful, but I’m not sure I want to go that far… charming dates.” 

Ashley sighed, Chris shrugged, “it would be cruel to deprive him of all our charms.” 

“I supposed,” Ashley rolled her eyes and moved around, placing a hand on Chris’ shoulder, creating a little dance circle that they could just about navigate swaying to the music in. 

Ashley closed her eyes and swayed along to the beautiful song. 

“Oh shit!” Ashley opened her eyes at Josh’s cry. He was peering through the crowd, squinting his eyes. “Sorry guys, but I gotta quickly take care of something, be right back. Don’t go anywhere!” He ordered. 

“Uh… okay,” Ashley watched him go and then turned back to Chris. She was surprised by how close he was to her. 

She still had her hand on his shoulder, and his hand that had been on her back had slipped down to her waist. She felt heat rising to her cheeks as she became hyper-aware of his touch. She looked up into his bright blue eyes and then quickly looked away again. They were both still swaying slightly. 

Chris grimaced, “kinda weird,” he gestured to their half linked position. 

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Ashley went to move away. 

“No, I was going to suggest… uh…” He held out his other hand to her. 

“Oh, okay,” Ashley gulped nervously, placing her hand in his, hoping that her palm wasn’t too sweaty. 

He took her hand and placed it on his other shoulder, and then gently placed his hand on her waist. They resumed their swaying back and forth to the music. She found her eyes searching for anything to focus on that weren’t Chris’ eyes. 

“This is a great song,” Ashley commented, not noticing how as they continued to move to the music they naturally gravitated closer to one another. 

“Uh-huh-huh,” Chris did a terrible Elvis impression. 

Ashley laughed, “please never attempt that ever again.” 

As she stopped laughing, Ashley realised how close their faces had become. If she leant in a couple of inches she could have kissed him. His lips looked very kissable. Before she could do anything she would regret, she moved her head to lean it against his shoulder, avoiding the temptation of kissing him. She wasn’t sure if she imagined it but she thought she felt Chris’ grip get a little firmer, holding her against him. 

“This is nice,” Chris sighed so quietly she wondered if she imagined it. She felt him rest his chin on the top of her head. 

She smiled to herself, swaying happily in his arms, savouring the moment, committing it to memory. 

They both jumped apart as bass-heavy house music blasted out of the speakers. They glanced at each other, laughing awkwardly. 

“What did I say about awful DJ-ing?” 

“You were right,” Ashley giggled, hoping that the dim lighting was partially covering how beetroot red her face had gone. 

“Shall we go find Josh and kick his ass for abandoning us?” 

“Sure,” Ashley nodded, following Chris off the dance floor. 

They found him standing with Beth and Sam, a cup of punch in his hand, a satisfied smirk on his face. When he saw them approaching, he leered, his eyes sparkling with mischief, or with fairy lights, who knows? 

“Sup lovebirds? Enjoy your slow dance?” 

“What happened to you? You were the one that wanted to dance to ‘the King’,” Ashley frowned at him. 

“What can I say? I’m a man in high demand! You two didn’t think you were going to have me all to yourselves did you?” 

Beth snorted, “you wish.” 

“You guys looked nice and cosy out there,” Sam smiled, nodding to the dance floor. 

Ashley felt her face heating back up again and avoided looking in Chris’ direction. 

“Mmm, not leaving much room for Jesus, were we kids?” Josh tutted. 

“Shut up bro,” Chris jostled Josh. 

“Bro! I’m holding punch! DO NOT come between me and my punch.” 

“I’ll give you a punch,” Ashley muttered. 

“Ash, you gotta reel in the anger, you’ve already punched me once tonight.” 

“What?” Sam looked between them, slightly alarmed. 

“Nice one,” Beth high fived Ashley. 

“It was a fake punch, for the photos,” Ashley rolled her eyes. 

“I mean, if you were faking it, you were doing one hell of a job,” Chris teased. 

“I did not punch him,” Ashley turned and hit Chris. 

“See,” Chris gestured to her, “evidence! A history of violence! The case is quickly building up against you.” 

“Call me when you have a lawyer.” 

“I think I’d make a great layer! Objection your honour! What do you think Josh? You wanna higher me?” 

“What are your rates?” 

“Well, you will, of course, get the friends and family discount, so that will be roughly one million per court appearance.” 

“Sounds reasonable. I’m sure good ol’ Bob has a spare million or two lying around somewhere. Watch out Ash, we’re taking you to court! You won’t get away with this.” 

“How do you put up with him willingly Ash?” Beth shook her head, “he’s my brother so I have to, but you, you can just walk away.” 

“It honestly makes me question my life choices sometimes.” 

“Me too,” Chris nodded. 

“Yes, you also make me question my life choices,” Ashley grinned. 

“No, Josh also makes me-” 

“Bro! You’re my lawyer, you’re not supposed to turn on your own client!” 

A new song faded in and a smile lit up Sam’s face, “oh babe,” she turned to Beth, “please can we dance, I love this song.” 

“Sure,” Beth grinned and let herself be led away from the other three 

“You keep your slimy hands off my little sister Sammy,” Josh called after them as they merged into the crowd of prom-goers. 

“So,” Josh turned back to the remaining two, smirking, “you have fun out there?” 

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Chris ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly. 

He guessed? Did that mean that he didn’t like it? Ashley rubbed her bare arms, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She stared down at her boots, missing the exasperated eye roll that Josh aimed at Chris. 

“Oh Josh, I have more fuel for your case! Ashley accused you of…”

Ashley didn’t listen. She stood there, determinedly staring at her boots, feeling incredibly stupid and foolish. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Who was she kidding, even if the other girls insisted that he did, he clearly did not like her back. He was always moving away from her, denying involvement in anything that could be considered romantic or flirtatious. 

The music came to an abrupt stop and Ashley looked up to see the principle cough into the microphone to get everyone’s attention, “it’s time to announce the prom king and queen.” 

People who were huddled away in the recesses of the gardens came hurrying back to the gazebo for the announcement. A wave of chatter and excitement buzzed around the large group of teens as they waited in anticipation. 

“This year’s prom king is… Michael Munroe.” 

“Typical,” Ashley tutted, rolling her eyes. 

“Pft, you’re just jealous, everyone wants a piece of Michael Munroe,” Josh watched Mike as he stepped up onto the small platform that had been set up. 

“I’ll pass.”

“And, the title of prom queen goes to… Jessica Riley.” 

A hush came over the room. Chris and Ashley both turned to each other, shock and horror on their faces. 

Chris looked at his hands, “how did we not know the power we yield?” 

“What have we done?” 

“Oh boy! Pass me the popcorn!” Josh leered, his eyes lighting up as he watched the platform avidly. 

Comments and whispers whipped around the room as Jess walked up to the platform, beaming. She gracefully accepted her crown and a bouquet of roses. Then the photographer got their attention and everyone watched as Mike and Jess posed for photos, crowns on their heads, the bouquet of roses in Jess’ arms. At one point Jess leant over to Mike and planted a kiss on his cheek, popping her foot up to complete the pose. 

“I wish I had a close up on Emily’s face right now,” Josh grinned, “oh and a spotlight.” 

“And now,” the principal spoke into the microphone again, “it’s time for the king and queen to have their first dance.” 

Mike offered Jess his hand, she offloaded the roses onto someone else and took it. They gracefully dismounted the platform and walked to the middle of the dancefloor where some space had been cleared. They looked like the perfect royal couple. Mike whirled Jess into his arms and she giggled happily in response. 

“I spy with my little an Emily Davis, ohhh, this is not going to be pretty,” Josh pointed to where he’d spotted Emily standing. 

She looked ready to kill, her eyes boring holes into the back of Jess’ head. She was glaring at the dancing couple with a heat that could rival hell itself. 

Jess and Mike danced around graciously to the music, moving across the dance floor, making sure to show off their crowns and moves to everyone in the audience. 

As they slowed down a little and the music seemed to be coming to an end, Jess leaned in to whisper something into Mike’s ear, giggling as she did. Apparently, that was the point at which Emily had had enough. She stormed onto the dance floor, lunging at Jess, tearing her away from Mike’s embrace, forcing Jess to face her. 

“You bitch!” Emily glared at her. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Oh did you not hear me? Was your sluttiness too loud?” 

“Sounds like someone’s bitter she didn’t win the crown,” Jess tipped the golden crown on top of her head. 

“Yeah, my Tiffany tiara is crying diamond tears of jealousy for your plastic Walmart garbage.” 

“Whatever. I don’t give a crap what you think.” 

“At least I can think. 4.0 bitch, honour roll. Suck on that when you’re trying to sleep your way into a job.” 

“Who needs grades when you’ve got all the natural advantages that you can handle.” 

“Oh please!” 

“You couldn't buy a mouldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass.” 

“Are you serious? Do you think that’s insulting?” 

“That bitch is on crack or something,” Jess turned back to Mike. 

Mike, who had been taking everything in with some level of amusement, probably getting a kick out of the idea of girls fighting over him, looked a little scared at being addressed. 

“Guys, let’s not fight,” Matt had broken his way through the crowd and tried to calm the situation down. 

“Stay out of it,” Jess snarled. 

“Yeah, back off meathead,” Emily turned on him too. 

“Poor guy,” Josh muttered but didn’t look like he felt all that sorry for him, still staring at the scene with an avid fascination. 

“Guys!” Sam rushed into the fray, followed by Beth and Hannah, “let’s not fight.” 

“Shut up!” Jess yelled at Sam and then turned back to Emily, “now you listen to me you-”

“Listen to the palm of my hand bitch,” Emily slapped Jess across the face. 

There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Hannah and Beth jumped in, each quickly grabbing one of the girls and dragging them away from each other as they screamed and shouted. 

As soon as the girls were gone everyone seemed to recover, the music started back up and people began dancing as if nothing happened. Although, no doubt, people were still whispering and gossiping about what had just taken place. 

“That,” Josh grinned, “was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Ashley and Chris both turned to stare at him incredulously. “Did you hear some of those lines they threw at each other? I’m gonna have to write those down.”

Ashley rolled her eyes at him and turned away, “I’m going to see whether our table is still free,” she muttered, still feeling the sting of her thoughts from earlier. 

“Oh no, you don’t,” Josh barred the way, “this is the prom and you two haven’t done nearly enough dancing. You are to accompany your date to the dance floor right now.” 

“ _You_ were the one that abandoned us on the dance floor,” Ashley bit back, her misery turning into anger at Josh for making her look like a fool. 

“I had important business to attend to, the like of which you could never understand,” Josh smirked at her, she glared back. 

“Come on Ash,” Chris said softly, always the peace-maker, “we might as well. He’s not going to give up.” 

Ashley glanced at him and then quickly turned her gaze back to Josh. She sighed. She had promised herself that she wasn’t going to let this stupid crush get the better of her prom night. There was no point in sitting on the sidelines moping, she might as well try to have fun. 

“Fine, but if you desert me again, I’ll kill you,” she threatened. 

“That’s the spirit!” Josh grabbed them both and carted them onto the dance floor. 

***

Ashley was quite glad that she’d listened to Josh, as once she was back on the dance floor she managed to put her hurt feelings aside and have fun dancing with her two best friends. Many dances and laughs later the trio decided to bail and drive to the after-prom spot. It was school tradition for everyone to drive over and spend the night in the parking lot of the local amusement park, ready to run wild around it the next day. 

It turned out the boys had decided to drive Chris’ truck to prom because there was plenty of space for the three of them to bed down in the bad for the night. They’d loaded it with plenty of blankets and pillows to ensure it was cosy and as comfortable as a truck bed could be. 

By this point, Ashley no longer cared about the smell or her hair getting messed up by the rolled down windows. She was already a mess of sweat, make-up and tangled hair from all the dancing they’d done. 

“Ugh, I’m starving after all that dancing,” Ash groaned, stretching in her seat between the two boys. 

“Hello starving, nice to meet you, I’m Chris,” and he would have stuck his hand out for her to shake, had he not been driving. 

“How about we grab some food?” Josh suggested. 

“Yes! Let’s get take-out! I would die for some Chinese right now!” 

“You heard the lady, Cochise! To the Chinese take-out!” 

Chris left the route to the amusement park and headed toward the cheap Chinese take-out that the three of them frequented on gaming and movie nights. He parked up and the three of them hopped out and entered the little take out place. 

They ordered far more food that was suitable for three people to consume and waited for it to be cooked. Once it had been handed over the counter to them, they hopped back into the truck. As Chris drove, the smell of Chinese food wafted out of the bag, making Ashley’s mouth water and her stomach grumble. 

Once at the amusement park they found a good parking spot and loaded themselves into the bed of the truck, getting comfy among the pillows and blankets. They unwrapped and opened the Chinese food, digging into it hungrily. 

“Oh my god, I love chow mein!” Ashley groaned, her mouth half-full. 

“Egh,” Josh pulled a face at her, “talking with your mouth full is not ladylike.” 

Ashley finished her mouthful and stuck her tongue out at Josh. He held his middle finger up at her and then continued his meal.

Once they’d finished their food they lay spread out over the bed of the truck, pleasantly full, buzzing with the night’s excitement, limbs tired, eyes heavy. 

Josh’s phone went off, jolting them all out of their relaxation.

“Shit,” Josh moaned, answering his phone, “Beth? The fuck you doing interrupting my food coma?” He sat up, “oh, okay, I’ll be right there.” 

“Sup?” Chris asked. 

“Nothing serious, just more drama, I’ll be back in a bit,” Josh shrugged, crawling across the blankets and clambering out of the truck. 

Ashley sighed and sat up once Josh had gone and looked around at the mess they’d made, “we should probably throw this stuff in the trash if we don’t want to wake up smelling like take-out tomorrow.” 

“Yeah,” Chris pulled himself up too. 

They went about gathering up all the wrapping and containers from the take-out and dumped it in a nearby trash can. 

“M’ lady,” Chris offered his hand as they got back to the truck bed. 

“Smells better already,” Ashley commented as she climbed back into the truck with Chris’ help. 

Chris followed up after her and they both attempted to get comfortable. It wasn’t easy as the tension between them mounted rapidly without Josh there as a buffer. Ashley hated it, her feelings had made everything so awkward between them. 

“Ugh,” Ashley groaned as she noticed a sprig of white flowers that had come loose from her hair poking at her face, “I should probably take all these out before we sleep.”

“Here, I’ll help,” Chris scooted over to her, sitting himself down beside her, facing her, “we don’t want the birds trying to roost overnight.” 

“Thanks,” Ashley smiled, feeling her face heat up at his closeness. 

“Does this make us apes?” Chris chuckled as he gently pulled the small flowers out of her hair. 

“What?” Ashley laughed. 

“Social grooming! I guess technically I should be eating these,” he gestured to the small pile of flowers he was creating, “but unfortunately I’m full up on Chinese at the moment.” 

“But there’s always room for dessert!” Ashley gasped mockingly. 

“I’m on a diet,” Chris smirked. 

“Does this mean we’re bonding?” 

“Huh?” 

“Well, among apes, social grooming is a form of bonding.” 

“Nerd!” 

“Hey,” Ashley grinned, giving him a poke, “you’re a nerd too!” 

“There we go, they’re all out.” 

“Thanks,” Ashley undid the braid in her hair running her fingers through it, conscious all the while of Chris watching her, “has it come out okay?” 

“Yeah, beautiful… uh… I mean…” Chris stuttered. 

Ashley’s face lit up bright red. Did Chris just call her beautiful? Well, technically he called her hair beautiful but let’s not spoil it. 

Ashley gathered up the courage to turn her face toward him. Her breath caught in her throat as she realised how close he was. Her heart picked up its pace as she stared into his bright blue eyes. Then she felt her gaze drawn down, toward his lips, wondering if he was going to kiss her. Hoping he was going to kiss her. Wondering what it would feel like when and if he did. 

They both hesitated for a moment and then without knowing who initiated it, his lips were against hers. Gentle and slow, almost a question at first. Then he tangled his hand in her hair, pulling her closer. 

Somewhere far off, a part of Ashley’s brain was screaming that Chris was kissing her! But the rest of her was enrapt by him, caught up in him. 

They were a little clumsy, Ashley giggled against his lips as they bumped noses slightly. 

She could feel his hand shaking slightly against her neck. It dawned on her that her hands were just sitting awkwardly in her lap. She started desperately trying to work out what she should have been doing with her hands. Where were her hands meant to go? 

Before she could decide, they heard a familiar voice approaching the truck, “y’all the drama continues!” 

Chris and Ashley sprang apart like they’d been burnt. 

A few seconds later, Josh was clambering back into the truck bed, “you will not believe,” he stopped immediately when he saw their faces, “oooh, what’s going on here? You two look like a couple of ripe tomatoes.”

Ashley shook herself out of her shock and embarrassment quicker than Chris, “what’s the tea?” She asked, hoping to change the topic. 

Josh stared at them both for a moment, squinting his eyes, looking unconvinced by Ashley’s attempt at a distraction. She hoped he would have mercy. After thinking for a second, miraculously, Josh seemed to decide not to pursue their embarrassment. 

“After the whole ‘you couldn’t buy a mouldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass’ debacle, Mike and Matt got into a fight.” 

“What? No!” Ashley exclaimed, genuinely worried. 

“Yeah, so Han got all upset, that is why I was called upon.”

Josh proceeded to tell the whole story, sparing no details, seemingly forgetting about Ashley and Chris’ embarrassment when he first climbed into the truck, although Ashley thought that was probably too good to be true. 

Before settling down and getting comfy they went to the nearby restrooms to change into their pyjamas. Then they huddled down and talked and laughed late into the night. They finally settled down to sleep when they were yelled at by the occupants of a nearby car to ‘shut the hell up’. Chris and Ashley had toe restrain Josh from going and giving them a piece of his mind. 

The three of them spread out across the truck bed, Ashley in the middle of the two boys. 

“Who’s hungry for an Ash sandwich?” Josh cackled. 

“Shut up,” Ashley kicked him. 

“Hey, hey, hey! I’m a dude! We have sensitive areas!” 

Ashley snorted, “I am not above kicking you in the balls if called for.” 

“I have no qualms about punching you in the boob for revenge.” 

“Bro! You don’t hit a girl, you just don’t.” 

“Ash isn’t a girl, she’s a demon. Watch out! She’ll try to steal your soul.” 

Ashley laughed, “no point in going after your soul Josh, you’re already damned.” 

“No wonder you’re focusing all your feminine wiles on Chris. His soul is pure and ripe for the picking.” 

“Shut up,” Chris snorted. 

After a while, they went quiet. Ashley couldn’t work out the best way to turn. Either she could lie face to face with Josh, who had quickly fallen asleep with his tongue hanging out his mouth and was lightly snoring, or, she could stare at the back of Chris’ head, wondering what was going through his mind. How did he feel about their kiss?

Unfortunately for Ashley, Josh had always been a starfish sleeper and a restless one at that. His limbs quickly spread out, invading Ashley’s space and then nudging and kicking her. She was beginning to think that even in his sleep he had no qualms about punching in the boob as he’d said. 

She shuffled away from him, trying to give herself some more space, keeping her eyes closed, not wanting to interrupt her attempt at sleep. Then she hit something solid and her eyes flickered open. She’d shuffled all the way into Chris. He stiffened. 

“Sorry,” she squeaked. 

Chris relaxed, leaning back against her a bit. She heard him let out a breath, “it’s okay,” he whispered. 

In her over-tired, sleep-deprived state she took that as an invitation, moving up to tuck herself against his back, nestling her face into the back of his neck. After a moment, he reached around and took her arm, pulling it around him and linking their hands. Soon Ashley fell asleep, a small smile on her lips, a warm hand in hers. 

***

When she woke up, Ashley was no longer pressed against Chris’ back, but she felt his presence against her own, his chest pressed against her. She could feel the rise and fall of his breath and a light tickle on the back of her neck. His arm was tightly wrapped around her waist, keeping her close. Their legs were intertwined so she didn’t quite know where she ended and he began. His scent and touch were all around her. She felt overwhelmed by him but completely happy and content at the same time. She nestled herself back against his chest, a smile on her face, hoping to stay there forever. 

“Rise and shine love birds!” Josh’s voice interrupted the peaceful morning, “the park is opening soon.” 

She felt Chris wake up, shifting groggily behind her, quickly moving away once he realised he was wrapped around her. She pretended to wake up too, yawning and stretching, acting like she didn’t even know that five seconds ago she had been cocooned in his arms, feeling possibly the happiest she had ever felt. 

“Get dressed hoes!” Josh yelled, throwing their bags at them. 

Ashley opened her bag and found her clothes for the day, her normal skinny jeans, t-shirt and sweater combo. She changed in the nearby bathrooms as she had done the previous night. 

Once the three of them were ready for a day of running around the amusement park they lined up at the entrance to buy their tickets. Luckily, the park had been warned of their coming and had enough ticket booths open so that the lines weren’t endlessly long. 

Josh, who loved the thrill of rollercoasters and haunted houses had a whole itinerary planned out for the three of them, based on line wait times and ride durations, everything had been taken into account, even each of their bathroom habits. If there was one thing that Josh was, it was a schemer. 

Ashley couldn’t bring herself to talk to Chris, even looking at him for too long would make her face light up like a red traffic light. Thankfully, Josh had always been and continued to be the perfect buffer. 

First on the agenda was a tour of all the rollercoasters staring from the tamest and ending with the highest, fastest and most terrifying. Josh had very specific plans for each and every one. 

“Right, we practised for this yesterday. We can do this!” 

“What are you talking about?” Ashley frowned. 

“My dear sweet Ashley, the photos of course! We need the perfect rollercoaster photo!” 

“Those things are a rip-off,” Chris shook his head. 

“So?” Josh shrugged, “you won’t be paying for it.” 

“I assume you have a plan?” Ashley sighed, rolling her eyes. 

“I do indeed.”

They ended up riding the rollercoaster thee times because Josh was not satisfied with the photo results from the first two. At the end of the third time around Chris was beginning to look a little green. 

Luckily for him, next on Josh’s agenda was the haunted house. This was one of Josh’s favourites, even if he did spend the whole time complaining about how cheap and terrible all the scares were. It wasn’t so fortunate for Ashley who hated all things dark and spooky. It was honestly a miracle that she and Josh, the Prince of Horror, were friends. 

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Ashley shivered at the fake graves around them as they waited in line to get inside. 

“Chill Red, it’s make-believe, as soon as we enter, I’ll be the scariest thing in there. Besides, Cochise will protect you, won’t you?” Josh clapped Chris on the shoulder. 

“Uh,” Chirs cleared his throat, making eye contact with Ashley and then quickly looking away again, his ears going bright red, “sure.” 

Josh rolled his eyes, “wow, are you a knight in shining armour or what? You two are safe as can be anyway,” Josh shrugged. 

“What? Because we’re with you?” Ashley snorted. 

“No,” Josh gave her a withering look, “what is the number one rule of horror?” 

“Don’t split up,” Chris answered. 

“Don’t ask ‘who’s there?’” 

Josh shook his head. 

“Don’t fall over while running?” Chris suggested. 

“Never investigate the creepy noise or dark basement?”

“All good answers, I have taught you well,” Josh nodded, “but no, the number one rule is… that sex equals death, therefore, my two virgin nerds, you will be just fine.” 

“Thanks,” Ashley crossed her arms. 

“Real nice.”

“What? I admire your abstinence, really I do! Must be hard after all these years of burning sexual tension.” 

“And that’s enough talking from you,” Chris quickly slapped his hand over Josh’s mouth. 

Josh struggled against Chris’ grip while Ashley laughed. Chris leapt away from Josh, a look of disgust on his face. 

“Gross! He licked me.” 

“Oh lick it up, baby! Lick it up!” Josh stuck his tongue out at Chris. 

“Ew, Josh! That is kinda gross!” Ash tried not to laugh. 

“I’m infected!” Chris clutched his hand, “kill me before I turn!” He begged Ashley. 

“Hey, it’s a blessing! Undead is the new sexy, haven’t you seen twilight?” 

After a short wait, they reached the front of the line. Josh instantly strode in. 

“Oh boy,” Ashley took a deep breath. 

Chris put his hand on her shoulder and leaning close, whispered, “don’t worry Ash, I got your back.” 

She felt a shiver go up her spine. She could feel his breath on her face, the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. Her mind took her back to the feeling of his lips against hers, she longed to turn her head and press their lips together again. 

“Hurry up scaredy cats!” Josh called, breaking the spell. 

Chris squeezed her shoulder and then moved forward, catching up with Josh. Ashley stood there for a second, her legs felt like jelly. She took a deep breath and plunged herself into the darkness of the haunted house. 

In an instant, her senses felt overwhelmed and blanketed by the dark. She wrapped her arms around her torso and forced herself forward. She heard Chris let out a yelp and Josh cracking up with laugher. She hurried toward the noise to join them. She jumped a mile in the air when a loud bang sounded just as she got to them. God, she hated these places. 

“Come on Red, smile!” Josh grinned, turning toward her. 

“We only have to be inside Josh’s brain for ten minutes. Feel sorry for him, he has to be here all the time,” she could just about make out Chris’ smile in the dark. 

“Hey!” Josh protested, “how dare you insinuate the horrors in my brain are as lousy as this! You two dweebs wouldn’t survive ten minutes in my brain!” 

A crack of fake rumbling thunder and a jet of smoke produced quite the scream from Ashley. She immediately latched onto Chris’ arm, burying her face into the fabric of his sweater. 

“Told you,” Josh smirked. 

Their next stop was the house of mirrors, a much-needed break of hilarity from all types of fear and horror. Ashley, at one point, collapsed in fits of laughter, tears streaming down her face as she was unable to find her way out of the maze with the end in sight. Chris stood at the exit, bent over in laughter as he watched her go the wrong way and even more as Josh appeared and almost tripped over her hysterical form. 

Chris’ favourite ride was the laser gun ride, and he was extremely competitive about it. He had a right to be too because despite his terrible eyesight he was damn good at it, probably from riding it an inconceivable amount of times as a kid. Ashley and Josh were both good competition for him though, almost as enthusiastic about it as he was. 

It was a close match, but ultimately, Chris came out victorious, and the loser, Josh, had to buy them all lunch. He probably would have anyway, but the other two enjoyed their hotdogs all the more, knowing that they were earned through their victory. 

While in line for the bumper cars they were joined by Sam, Beth, Hannah and Matt. No sign of Emily, Mike or Jess, which was probably just as well. 

They zoomed around, crashing into each other. Matt, in particular, seemed to have a gift at charging around the small ring, bumping everyone in his way. Only his doted upon girlfriend, Hannah, was safe from his car. 

Ashley screamed as she desperately tried to control her car and laughed as she bumped and was bumped by each of her friends. Josh seemed to have it out for her and Chris wasn’t going easy on her either, she got her fair share of bumps back at them though. 

They left the bumper cars feeling slightly bruised and battered but laughing and smiling all the same. Their next stop was a much calmer one. 

Ashley’s favourite ride was the swing ride. She loved the feeling of being lifted into the air, the wind whipping through her hair as the world became small bellow her and she lost herself in the flying sensation. 

The ride was a breath of fresh air from the darkness of the haunted house and the competition of the bumper cars and laser gun ride. 

Chris threw his arms and legs out and yelled, “WOOHOO!” as the ride swung them around. 

Ashley looked over at him, smiling and laughing. Blue eyes met green and for a moment there was no awkwardness, only open happiness and adoration for one another. Then Josh wolf-whistled and they both quickly looked away, blushing, while Josh laughed his ass off. 

Next on the agenda was the tilt-a-whirl. Chris looked a little green just watching it from the ride but he would pretty much submit himself to anything for the sake of his best friends, so he diligently got into the little car with them and braced himself. 

Ashley and Josh whooped as they were spun around, enjoying the feeling of the world blurring and rushing around them. Chris held on for dear life, focusing very hard on keeping himself upright. 

Ashley felt herself slipping and sliding around the seat of the car until she found herself firmly pressed up against Chris’ side by the momentum. She thought about how comfortable and easy it had been to sleep pressed up against his large, warm body during the night. She felt heat climbing up into her face and hoped that it looked like it was being caused by the excitement of the ride. 

The ride came to a stop but for the people on it, the world kept spinning. The three of them climbed out of the car, almost crawling, laughing at each other as they veered off to one side. 

Ashley stumbled sideways into Chris, who, to his credit, did try his best to catch her and keep them both upright, but feeling rather off-balance himself failed in his attempt. They both went sprawling out onto the ground, laughing as they fell. 

Ashley landed on top of Chris. While trying to catch her Chris had wrapped his arms around her waist and was holding her against him. She lifted her head from his chest, laughing, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. 

Then their eyes met. Although the smiles didn’t melt from their faces the laughter stopped. She was suddenly aware of her body being fully pressed up against his. She found her eyes drawn to his lips. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him again. Did he want to kiss her again?

A few tense moments passed them by, both of them breathing heavily, the world still spinning slightly around them. Chris didn’t let her go, his arms still held her tightly against his chest. Neither of them moved. She desperately wanted to lean down and press her lips to his but it seemed impossible. She still didn’t know what she meant to him. She couldn’t bear the idea of the mortification she would face or the idea of losing him if she had read everything wrong. 

Josh had watched all this happen with a satisfied smirk on his face. But as they lay there, staring at each other, neither of them willing to make the first move, he rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, “time for an intervention.” 

“Oi,” he yelled, “lovebirds, we have a schedule to stick to, the teacups await.” 

“The teacups?” Ashley frowned, quickly getting up, backing away from Chris and brushing herself off. 

“Oh god! Not another spinning ride,” Chris shook his head, stumbling a little as he pulled himself up off the ground. 

“Come on Cochise, after surviving the tilt-a-whirl you can manage a little twirl on the teacups, those things go at like one mile per hour.” 

“Since when did you like lame rides like the teacups?” Ashley teased, letting Chris lean on her shoulder as he got his balance back. 

“They are a classic Ash! Don’t you dare disrespect such an ancient machine, one of the first children of great mother Fairground!”

“Please don’t lecture me on the art and history of the fairground,” Ashley put her hands together in prayer. 

“Today we have better things to do but one day, I will educate you.” 

“Is it just me or does that sound vaguely ominous,” Chris murmured into her ear. 

“It kind of does, you know,” Ashley giggled. 

“Hurry up kids!” Josh called as he began to lead the way toward the teacups. 

The three of them made their way over to the ride, still a little unsteady on their feet but quickly recovering. 

They chose a teacup with a red tulip design on it. Ashley and Chris both got in, sliding on to the little bench. Josh on the other hand, quickly closed the metal door of the teacup without getting in. 

“I’ll be right back,” he promised, rushing off. 

“Josh!” They both called after him but he didn’t look back. They watched as he dashed over to the ride conductors booth and spoked to the woman in there. 

After a minute or two, soft tinkling music stared up and the ride began to move. 

“What is going on?” Chris asked. Ashley shrugged. 

“Josh, what are you doing?” Ashley yelled as the teacup moved toward the booth where he was standing. 

“You two are not getting off this ride until you have sorted things out!” He called back, his hands around his mouth to project his voice. 

They both just looked at him with even more confusion. 

“Sorted what out?” Chris looked to Ashley for an answer, again she just shrugged. 

“I know what happened lat night! I’m not fucking stupid!” 

Oh, that, Ashley thought. Her face heated up instantly at the realisation that Josh, as always, knew more than she did about what was going on between her and Chris. 

“He’s being ridiculous,” Chris muttered, “keeping us hostage on the damn teacups of all places.”

Ashley looked down at her hands, sitting in her lap as she felt the slow spin of the teacup. She gathered up all her courage and took a deep breath. 

“Maybe he’s right,” she scrunched her hands up into fists and looked up to see Chris’ reaction. 

It was slightly odd, looking at him, really looking at him, as the world spun around him. The background all blurred into a mass of colour as Chris stayed solid in front of her. His eyes were wide as he looked at her, surprised or scared or nervous, she wasn’t sure. 

He cleared his through and scratched the back of his neck, “yeah probably.” 

“So uh,” “okay um,” they both said at once and then laughed nervously, both of their faces lighting up with a blush and quickly look away from each other. 

“This is kind of awkward, huh?” Chris chuckled. 

“Yeah,” Ashley smirked and rubbed her arm nervously, “I wish I could tell you, it’s just… hard,” she frowned, biting her lip nervously. 

“Tell me what?” 

“I-I just feel like we’re wasting everything, we’re always talking around it-”

“Ash-” Chris looked stricken by what Ashley had just said, “none of it was wasted.” 

“What do you mean?” Ashley looked at him hopefully. 

“Every second that I spend with you… it’s-it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do with my time.” 

Ashley felt her stomach flip at his words, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as the hope that he felt the same way she did overwhelmed her. 

“What are you saying.” 

“I’m-I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I should have told you how I felt.” 

“Chris,” Ashley choked a little on her words. 

“I swear when we get off this damn ride, I’ll make it up to you.” 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ashley let a smile melt onto her face. 

“I hope you will,” Chris smiled back. 

“Let us off Josh!” Ashley yelled. 

“Have you sorted things out?” 

“Yes,” they both called back. 

He said something to the ride conductor and slowly the spinning came to a stop. As it did, Ashley realised how dizzy she was. 

She clutched the side of the teacup, “I think I might need a minute,” she tried to blink the spinning away. 

“Me too,” Chirs groaned. 

“Oh come on you big babies, it’s time to celebrate, well, I assume we’re celebrating.” 

Ashley rubbed her eyes and then looked up at Chris, who, although he was slightly cross-eyed was looking back at her and smiling. 

“Yeah, we are,” she grinned. 

***

They completed their tour of the park throughout the rest of the day. Josh was beyond relieved that their ‘burning sexual tension’ as he called it was less parched. Ashley and Chris were still awkward with each other, feeling their way through what was going on between them. But Ashley was happy to find herself slipping her hand into Chris’, or cuddling up to him on the rides. She loved every time he’d put his arm around her or squeeze her hand in his and give her one of his goofy grins. 

It got dark and the theme park lit up in a rainbow of bright and beautiful colours. Josh was quick to usher Chris and Ashley toward the Ferris wheel line. 

“You’re welcome to come too,” Ashley told him. 

“That’s very kind of you Ash, but I am a very busy man, plus I think you two could use some alone time,” he winked. 

Ashley felt the heat of a blush rising up her neck and into her cheeks. 

“Okay, text when you want to meet back up,” Chris waved to him as he walked off. 

And just like that, they were alone. Chris took Ashley’s hand in his own and she wrapped herself around his arm as they waited in the short line. 

When it was their turn they climbed into their compartment and sat down, pressed against each other. 

Once they’d been lifted off the ground, Chris let out a sigh, “so…”

“So?” Ashley looked up at him smiling. 

He smiled back down at her, “does this… does this make me your girlfriend… I mean…?”

Ashley laughed, “yes, I suppose it does,” she grinned and then added, “make you my girlfriend. I mean, if you want.” 

“I think I’d prefer to be your boyfriend.” 

“I guess that works too,” she grinned even more. 

“Good, I’d like that.” 

“Me too.” 

Chris pressed a small kiss against her hair. Ashley smiled and nuzzled more into his side. Their compartment was slowly getting closer to the top of the Ferris wheel. 

“They always kiss at the top of the Ferris wheels in rom coms,” Ashley sighed, watching as they slowly climbed upwards. 

“I, um… I can kiss you at the top if you want,” Chirs offered. 

“Well, you are my boyfriend.” 

“I am,” he grinned. 

“Do you want to kiss me at the top of the Ferris wheel?” 

“I do,” he nodded. 

“Okay then,” she grinned, feeling her breath catch in her throat. 

“Okay.”

They sat and watched as their compartment climbed the remaining way up to the top, looking down at the park growing small beneath them. As they reached the top, Chris leant down and bringing his hand up to cup her cheek pressed a kiss to Ashley’s lips. 

She closed her eyes and smiled against his lips, leaning into him. He leaned away for a moment, his eyes opening and taking her in and then eagerly he was leaning back in for more, digging his hand into her hair and pulling her closer. 

They didn’t stop kissing until their compartment reached the exit point. The conductor had to whistle at them to get their attention. They quickly hurried off, faces bright red with embarrassment, but unable to stop smiling at each other and with their hands linked. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone that helped me with this monster of a one-shot, you know who you are ;)  
> I hope this was fun and enjoyable! Thank you for reading!


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